For Her
by Keiko Fujiwara
Summary: My take on what I would have liked to have happened after Season 2 Episode 2! Rest assured, I'm pretty sure this WON'T happen. :/ SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't seen the second episode yet. I'm rating this T b/c it isn't too graphic...let me know if you think it should be changed to M!
1. Chapter 1

**Title** | For Her

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | A continuation of BATB's Episode 2.02. This story will be something I think should have happened after the ending but didn't. (Note: this story will contain spoilers).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**For Her**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine slowly walked from her car to her apartment, still in pain from _the incident_. She knew Vincent didn't mean to strike her—it was an impulsive reaction—but it didn't erase the fact that he still did it. Before his capture, her boyfriend never forced her down like he did a few hours prior—if he was still her boyfriend after the end of the night. Honestly, she didn't think he was dangerous because of who he was or what Muirfield did to him; she was afraid of what he _could_ do if he ever lost control.

Her plan was simple: take the elevator to her apartment's floor, enter her apartment, take a shower and go to bed. But, with the crazy things that happen in her life, she should know that _simple_ never worked in her favor.

Never.

After reaching her destination, she locked her apartment door and headed to her bedroom, ready to pass out for the night. However, she still wanted to take a shower so passing out would just have to wait its turn. Piece by piece, she removed her clothing and tossed each garment into her hamper before walking into her bathroom. After Catherine turned on the spigot, she walked over to her mirror as she waited for the water to warm up. She hissed in pain as she moved her body in different directions to examine the large, black bruise covering her abdomen. She had been hit by men before but never was the damage so great.

The instant she stepped into the shower, she clenched her teeth as the pressured water smacked her discolored skin like mallets hitting a drum. She was definitely going to feel the pain in the morning; that's for sure.

When she was finished with her shower, she dried herself off and slipped on her bathrobe—not sure if she could even get into her pajamas without wailing in pain. As she stepped into her bedroom and turned off the bathroom light, she nearly jumped out of her skin to find her window open and Vincent standing on the fire escape. "What're you doing here?" she asked him, hoping she could hide her fear from him.

She watched him as he bit his lip as if he was struggling to find the right words to say. "Just hear me out, okay?"

She nodded but didn't dare move from her stance. "I'm listening."

"I promise I'll stay out here…and keep my distance…" Vincent said. She could tell he was already trying to regain her trust again. At least he was trying to make amends…. "I'm sorry."

"About what." Catherine demanded. She wanted him to be forthcoming and completely straightforward for once. After what he did to her, he owed her at least that and more. She folded her arms across her chest and turned to face him. However, she still didn't move closer to the window.

"Everything…For losing my memories, not remembering you, for ditching you a few nights ago to kill off Zhao and for what happened earlier. I don't…I don't know why I lost control like that. But the fact is—I did." Vincent confessed. "I know I can't make up for what I've done to you so I came here to tell you I'm sorry…and to say goodbye. I think…for both our sakes, it would be best if we take a break…from whatever this is." Catherine could tell Vincent was torn up about it and she was too. Even though he crossed a line a few hours ago, she still couldn't give him up cold turkey.

Taking a deep breath, Catherine took a few steps towards the window and stopped. "Vincent…I can't…I can't lie and tell you I'm perfectly fine with what you did earlier." She pressed her lips together and laughed dryly, "I kept telling myself you wouldn't hurt me based on our past history together…. However, as we both know, I was a fool in thinking you were still the same Vincent who left me three months ago." She blinked back a few tears and continued, "I just…I don't know what to do now…."

Vincent nodded slowly. He, too, had no idea what to do from this point on. "First of all, you weren't foolish, Catherine. Believe me; if the situation was reverse, I'm sure I would believe the same thing about you too. Second, if anyone was foolish—it was me."

"Why?" Catherine asked, her lip slightly quivering. "Because you keep coming back?"

"No," Vincent shook his head. "Because I keep pushing you away…." He rubbed his hands together and licked his lips, "If I had just…I don't know…let you in on a few things…, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"Vincent," Catherine took another step towards the window, "It's a two-way street. I was the one who kept pressuring you into telling me things about your whereabouts and your new life! I thought I was reaching out to you like a girlfriend but, in reality, I was still trying to use the cop angle. If anything, I had that attack coming." She mumbled more to herself than to Vincent. However, he heard it loud and clear.

"No." Vincent stated. "You didn't. It's only natural for you to be curious…and even though I can't answer any of your questions, I still shouldn't have gotten hyped up like that. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to ask questions and not be able to obtain the answers." Vincent leaned forward a little bit but didn't dare go any further than the window.

Catherine sniffed and pushed her hair back as she responded, "And I know how annoying it is to hear the same questions over and over again. But Vincent, if you think an apology is going to fix all of th-"

"I don't." he answered honestly, "and I don't expect it to."

"Then why are you here?" she had to ask. "I mean, I appreciate the gesture and the attempt but if you knew an apology wouldn't fix things…then why did you come?"

"Because," he paused, "I can't stop thinking about you, Catherine. After…what we did earlier tonight…it made me realize how much I _do_ want to learn about my past. And call me crazy but…I want…I want _you_ to be the person to fill me in on the details."

Catherine sighed. "Vincent, I've tried. We had sex for crying out loud! Even then, nothing worked!" She was frustrated beyond frustration. Without realizing it, she marched straight to the window, knelt to her knees and splayed her hands onto the ledge as she looked directly into his eyes. "What makes you think I'm the best person for the _job_? Obviously a sexual approach didn't work so what will? Besides, like you said, I don't have proof you were ever my boyfriend!"

Vincent stared at her in bewilderment. First she said his memories will return in their own time, then she practically tried to _force_ his memories to come back (excluding the sex part because that was as much his blame as hers) and now she didn't want to help him even when he had asked her to! "Look," Vincent paused but didn't break eye contact with her. "If we're going to have this…mono y mono…in order to attempt to patch things up, I need to be honest to you about something."

"That's a first." Catherine muttered coldly.

Vincent inhaled a deep breath and calmed his nerves. He deserved her cold glare and icy words—especially after hurting her earlier. "Anyway, as I was saying, I wasn't honest with you from before." Catherine opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off, "I…kinda do remember you…."

"What are you saying?" Catherine shook her head with disbelief. "All this time, you've been lying to me?"

"No!" he shouted—a little louder than he had wanted to. Seeing her unnerved look, he softened his voice, "No. I don't remember…anything we've done together…or how we met…or anything concerning personal experiences. However, during my capture, as you put it, I could see flashes…. I can't tell you if they're flashbacks because I wouldn't know. But, after intense and excruciating training, your face…your face would flash into my mind. But, until a few days ago, I couldn't put a name to the face. Hell, I didn't even know if you were real—for all I knew, the flashes I had seen were a figment of my imagination. You know, to help me get through the tough days? But now I know…that you _are _real and I was seeing those flashes for a reason. I think…I think my mind was trying to remember you but the memory-wipe was too strong for my memories to seep through."

"Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell me when we were…you know…at your new place?" Catherine was furious! How could he do this to her? First he said he didn't remember her, but after a little heart-to-heart, he claimed he did? What was his problem? Did he seriously not trust her enough to share even a small part of his emotional self?

Realizing how mad Catherine was, Vincent stood up and walked back to the stairs to give her more space. "I guess…for once…I was afraid."

"You're a super soldier, Vincent. What is there to be afraid of?" An honest question but an inaccurate observation.

"I was afraid that if I got too close…if I actually recognized that there _is_ something going on between us…I would be seen as weak. I was told to never allow my emotions to get in the way but here I am, doing just that." He confessed—the most honest thing he had said since their reunion.

"Vincent," Catherine bravely stepped onto the fire escape and walked towards him but still kept her distance. "Before they captured you, your emotions were everything to you. It was what kept you at bay and helped you stay in control. In that respect, you were the strongest guy I knew—and I'm not talking about physical strength either."

"You don't get it." Vincent said, very direct. "It's not a matter of why or what, it's a matter of whom. To answer one of your continuous questions, yes, I am working for someone. I can't tell you who but I do receive orders from a higher power. He was the one who told me to stay away from someone named Catherine Chandler. I didn't know who you were at that time but it's obvious he knows about you and about our past history together."

"Who is he?" Catherine asked even though she knew Vincent wasn't going to answer her.

"You know I can't answer that."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Okay…then what _can_ you tell me?"

"I've told you too much already," Vincent said almost compassionately.

"Okay…okay…" Catherine inhaled a deep breath, "So apparently 20 Questions isn't working in my favor so I'm just going to stop with the cop angle and hope that eventually, you'll learn to trust me in your own time. But…it's frustrating…." She took another deep breath and decided to sit next to him. One step at a time, right?

Vincent nodded. "I can't argue with you there. There are things I _want_ to tell you, but…but it's for your own protection that I don't."

"And we've had this conversation before." Catherine said but immediately added, "I know you can't remember, Vincent, but one time, you held a secret from me—a pretty big secret, actually—and your reasons were pretty much the same as they are now. When I finally did find out, I was furious but we managed to work things out. We consented to tell each other everything because I finally convinced you I can handle myself."

"What was the secret?" Vincent asked, surprising Catherine. She realized that all along he had wanted to learn of his past but she hadn't picked up on all of the hints.

"Well, the first time I took you to my mother's gravesite, you found out…through your senses, that she wasn't six feet under. When I found this out about six months later, I had high hopes that my mother was still alive. However, on the tenth anniversary of her death, we found her final resting place near an old farm area out in the middle of nowhere"

"Sounds like a heartfelt memory…" his voice trailed off, furious at himself for not being to remember ever being with her.

"Yeah," she smiled, feeling a little more comfortable around him, "It was…" Realizing that she was ogling him, she shook her head and stood up. She spun around and said, "Which…by the way…brings up another point. I wanted to apologize to you…for being so pushy about your memories."

"If pushy leads to what happened in the boathouse, by all means, continue." He smirked, causing her to laugh. "But really, thanks."

"And," she combed her fingers nervously through her hair, "I'm sorry for always asking you too many questions…about where you've been…what you've been doing…who you work for and et cetera. I can't…I can't make any promises but…but I'm willing to try to stop asking so many questions. I mean, that's the first part of trust, right?"

"Yeah…but," he licked his lips, "just because I can't answer any of your questions doesn't mean you don't have the right in asking them."

"Uhhh…" Catherine cocked her head, "Run that by me again?"

Realizing how many negatives he put into one phrase, he chuckled. "Sorry…I don't think I ever was…very great with small talk. What I mean to say is: you have a right to be curious, but Catherine, I'm going to be honest…" his voice paused as he rubbed his hands together and tried to figure out how to phrase his next train of thoughts. "…based on certain factors…it _would_ be better…_safer_…if you and I end things here."

"Oh…I see." Catherine blinked back a few tears, hoping Vincent wouldn't notice. He did.

"Hey," he thought about reaching out to her but figured it was still better not to have any physical contact considering what happened earlier on the roof, "You didn't let me finish."

"What else is there to say?" Catherine smiled sadly as she continued to refrain herself from crying, "You don't remember me and you're clearly not the same Vincent I fell in love with so…maybe you're right. I mean, you seem to have a comfortable life without me in it so…maybe it _is_ for the best I step aside and let you be." She couldn't look at him anymore. She knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to stop the tears from falling.

"Catherine," Vincent whispered, "I didn't say that's what I wanted though." She still didn't look at him but she continued to listen to him, "I won't lie; I have a dangerous job—dangerous on both ends. Mess with the wrong people and you pay the price. That's what I fear might happen if you continue to learn about what I do. Like I said, they know who you are. I don't know how but they do and if they find out I've been seeing you on my own accord, they will see me as distracted and I have a strong feeling they'll do whatever it takes to eliminate the problem. That's why I think it's best we stop things here. _However_," he added quickly so she wouldn't start babbling off again, "as much as I keep saying stay away, I keep showing up too."

Catherine's eyes widened as she forced herself to look at him. "What did you just say?"

"I said: as much as I keep saying stay away, I keep showing up too. Were you not listening to me the first time?" he raised his eyebrow, utterly confused.

"No. I mean," she shook her head violently, "Yes, I was listening but no, that wasn't it. Vincent, I'm sorry I keep asking this but are you sure you can't remember anything?"

"Aside from your face? No."

"It may be just a super coincidence or your mind might be trying to remember things without your knowing because you said that exact phrase to me the night of our second official encounter…on the ballet roof after I returned the photo of your platoon back to you." Catherine knelt down. There might be hope after all!

"Who knows?" Vincent shrugged, "Maybe I _am_ slowly recovering bits and pieces of my memories. As I was saying, if…we can somehow manage to meet in secret, I wouldn't mind you helping me rejog my memory. I feel like there are lots of experiences I didn't want to ever forget—especially the ones with you."

"I'm flattered, but…like I said, we've already had sex. That didn't work. So what will?" An honest question, he thought.

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came to mind. "Ehhh…I'm not sure."

"Well," Catherine looked at him and pursed her lips together before saying, "_if_ I consent into helping you regain your memory, there has to be some conditions…and everything cannot be on your terms only."

"Understandable. What do you have in mind?"

The more she actually spoke with Vincent, the new Vincent, the more she realized that the Vincent she fell in love with was still there somewhere. He seemed gentle…much like the time in the boathouse when he offered her a sandwich. For the first time, she realized she wasn't speaking to the soldier Vincent but the human locked inside of him. Did striking her open his eyes? Was it a waking call of some sort? She hoped so. She hoped him sending her across the roof was worth it.

"First," she stated firmly, "you can't just pop in when you want to or when it's convenient. I understand you have a schedule you have to abide to and I'm willing to work around that. However, I'll have to know when and where ahead of time. I don't think I can handle any more surprises."

"If that's what you want, I guess we can figure out a way to contact each other. I could…leave notes on your door or something."

"No." Catherine stated firmly. "If your boss knows about me, he probably keeps tabs on me at times. Communication must be by phone…untraceable phones. We can get burner phones and communicate like we used to."

"Or," Vincent said, "Or we can use aliases. You can keep your phone and pick an alias for me. I will purchase a phone under a different name and choose an alias for you. This might sound weird but you choose a girl name for me and I'll choose a boy name for you. My bosses may be tapping into your phone so they won't think you talking to a Jenna or a Victoria suspicious. We will also use code words to signify the places to meet. I suggest hotels."

"Hotels?" Catherine raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah…because if you helping me remember leads to anything like what we did in the boathouse, we're going to need the necessary materials. A soldier never goes anywhere unprepared." Vincent smirked.

"Naturally." Catherine rolled her eyes. "Second condition: I don't require you to tell me anything about your missions, unless you want to, but I want you to at least trust me. If…If y-you _need_ any help, I have resources. And, from what I've observed by following you around today, I noticed you went after a rogue beast. Now I don't know if that's what your boss wants you to do all of the time but…I do want to help you. I, too, want to help. I can offer you my resources; JT has facial recognition software that searches off the record. No one will have to know."

"As great as your offer is, Catherine, I have a feeling my resources are much better than a police's resources. However, I'll remember the offer in case I _do_ get stuck on something and need your help." It wasn't a promise or a confirmation but it was definitely a start.

"Third, but not least: we've gotta do something about your control issue so _it_ doesn't happen again. If you can't agree to these conditions, then I'm out." Catherine folded her arms and waited for Vincent's answer.

"I'm in." Vincent immediately answered.

"All right…details can be figured later. I'm tired so I think I'm going to go to bed now." Catherine stretched but immediately clutched her side in pain. Vincent looked at her remorsefully. _He_ had done that to her. She stood upright and told him she was fine but he didn't believe her. "I'm okay."

"You don't look okay." Vincent observed.

"I'm fine, Vincent. I promise." She lied and he knew it but he wasn't going to say anything.

"All right." He nodded as he stood up to stretch his own muscles.

Before slipping back inside her bedroom, Catherine turned back around. She needed to know _one_ thing and one thing only. "Umm…did you…did you mean what you said earlier?"

"Did I mean what?" he asked, clueless.

"Never mind." She shook her head. "It's not important." As she started walking back towards her fire escape window, Vincent impulsively grabbed her arm, causing her to jerk at his touch.

"I'm sorry." He immediately apologized as he drew back his hand. "but Catherine?" his voice was pleading and hear heart was listening. "Whatever you have to say is important…to me at least." He was honest. Purely honest. He rose to his feet and walked towards her until he was right in front of her. "What is it, Catherine?"

"Did you mean it…when you referred to me as a one-night stand?"

"No." he replied as he trapped her against the wall between his arms. "I didn't mean it."

Catherine gave him a fierce look and muttered two spellbinding words that literally made his legs feel like jelly, "Prove it." She was daring him to make a move on her. She should be afraid to be around him but…after everything she's been through with past boyfriends, she wasn't. Vincent slipped up—that's all. At least, that's how her mind was assessing the situation. She didn't want to believe he was as dangerous as she thought he was a few hours ago. So, if he was up for the bait, she wanted him to prove himself to her—prove to her he isn't as dangerous as she previously decided. "I dare you."

Vincent wasted no more time and kissed her hard on the mouth. He received an open invitation and he wasn't going to turn it down or leave early this time. He planned on using the full length of the night to his advantage. Catherine responded to his kiss and molded her lips against his as he clumsily carried them through her fire escape window.

**~Beauty and the Beast~**

"I could definitely get used to this." Vincent whispered to Catherine as he combed his fingers through her sweaty, stringy hair.

"Did you remember anything this time?" she asked, hopeful.

"No…unfortunately. However, I have a theory." He muttered before kissing her again.

"What is it?" she asked, noting the wonderful feeling she felt as his hand gently caressed her bruised abdomen.

"Well, earlier, you mentioned me saying something I once said before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well," he paused, "what if the sex _is_ working…but the memories are slowly finding their way to throw hints at me?"

"If that is what's going on, then you better start finding more free time in your schedule." Catherine smirked. "I have a feeling we're going to have to have a lot of sex in order to bring back all of your memories."

"I have no complains here." Vincent chuckled before kissing her again and again and again and again. She snaked her arms around his torso and held him against her, allowing him to rekindle everything once more.

Vincent and Catherine continued to make love well into the late hours of the night but they didn't seem to care. Vincent's ability to caress her and not hurt her injury any further was astounding. Making love to her was proof enough that the control issue wasn't a problem—it was his anger. Catherine had realized that, when angry, it's harder for him to control his temper tantrums. She will just have to work on that too.

"I wish we could do this all night," Vincent muttered into her ear before he started feathering kisses along her jaw, causing her to scrunch up her neck.

"You keep doing _that_," she giggled in response, "I won't let you leave this damn apartment." To put truth to her statement, she wrapped her legs around his buttocks indicating she had no plans of letting him go anytime soon.

Suddenly, he noticed the scar above her right breast. He grazed his fingers over it and asked, "What happened?"

"Oh this? I got it from a pissed off, vengeful bitch who couldn't handle life outside of perfection. Let's just say, I told her off, left pretty proud of myself, attended my father's…" her nose started to burn, "…attended my father's wedding, got to slow-dance with you for two songs, we had a little disagreement, you left, I followed, tried to call you, you didn't answer, and the next thing I knew, a car was speeding up behind me and then the driver purposely rammed her car into my sister's, flipped me over, totaled the car, stepped out of her vehicle, told me I ruined her Cinderella fairytale as she whipped out a gun, I pulled out mine and we both fired. She died instantly and if not for your timely arrival, I wouldn't be here right now."

"So I swooped in and saved the day?" he asked, somewhat proud of himself.

"Something like that." She smiled before pulling him in for another kiss. "Memory or no memory, Vincent, I'm glad you're here."

"Are you still mad at me for striking you earlier?" he asked as he placed his hand gently onto her side.

"Yeah…that was another weakness of mine…. I could never be too mad at you for long." Catherine wriggled her nose. "However, I think we've established that…aside from this…things are going to be different between us. I mean, some things are the same. Other than your ability to go wherever you want to, you and I still have to be a secret to the world. So that's the same."

"I'm sorry things can't be different between us." Vincent replied while he cupped her bare shoulder.

"And there's another thing that hasn't changed…"

"What?" he asked.

"You keep apologizing." Catherine laughed but then added, "Which, contrary to popular belief, I find very sexy. It shows you have a sensitive side." She rubbed her hands across his broad shoulders and slid them towards the back of his neck. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered! I _do_ have photos of us!"

"You do?"

"Yeah," Catherine smiled, "Hang on, let me go and fetch them!" She unlocked her legs from around him and slid out from underneath him before sauntering over to her dresser drawer. "I had to snatch these scans away from my sister because she had scanned them onto her USB. I deleted the digital scans but kept the actual prints in secret. I can't believe I completely forgot about them!" She dug through her underwear drawer because only God knows whether or not her sister would _ever_ look for them in there and found it! "Here we are!"

As she walked back to Vincent, he could see every beautiful aspect of her body (when using his night vision)—the perfection in her curves, the smoothness of her body, her Chinese complexion and much more. "You know," he smirked, head resting on his hand, "I'm really likin' the view right now."

Blushing, Catherine grinned and slipped back into the bed. She reached over and turned on her lamp, giving Vincent a better glimpse of her flawless body but she quickly slipped a cover over herself before handing Vincent the picture.

Instead of looking at her, he focused on the photograph. It was of them dancing, as she had said. He was wearing a tux and she, a stunning, purple dress which, in his opinion, complemented her quite beautifully. "We look…" he paused, trying to find the right phrase to use.

"What? Contented? Comfortable?" Catherine tried to guess what he was going to say but he shook his head.

"No…we look…very much in love." He finished as he placed the photo on her nightstand. He looked back at Catherine—into her eyes—and could see as much love in her eyes as she had looking at him in the photo. As limbs tangled back together and bodies realigned, Vincent nibbled on Catherine's bottom lip. "And that was at your father's wedding?" She nodded but he noticed her lip starting to quiver. "What's wrong?"

"He…uh…He passed away last month." Catherine blinked back her tears. "I was meeting him because he wanted to talk to me but when I see him about to cross the street, someone pushes him into the middle of the road and a car hits him. People kept telling me it was a freak accident but I knew better. It was definitely premeditated. Someone didn't want my dad to tell me something that day. Unfortunately, I have no idea what he wanted to say…and now I'll never know." She could feel tears falling out of the corners of each eye but she wouldn't sob like she did the first night Vincent came back into her life.

Noticing her salty tears, Vincent wiped them away and leaned his head against hears. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think there is." She shook her head. "Just…be here with me?"

"Okay." He consented before leaning in for another kiss. Oh how much he wished he could remember her! He may be a super soldier but he still wanted to regain those experiences he'd lost. He wanted to remember their first kiss, their first date and their first time making love. The question is: how?

Eventually, Catherine fell asleep, coiled inside Vincent's arms. Her hand was splayed across his chest as he held her against him. Occasionally, he would kiss the top of her head to reassure her sleeping self that he was still around. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to leave—to report and find out his next mission. But, for now, he was just going to enjoy the beauty within his arms.

He may not remember her but he knew, deep down, she was his soul mate. And, eventually, with her help, he will be able to remember her. As he watched her sleep soundly within his arms, he could already tell he was starting to fall in love with her…all over again.

And supposedly like the last time, they would somehow make their relationship work. Even if it means they have to make love in secret…in a place where no one would think to look…Vincent was willing to try to make it work.

For her.

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**Keiko Fujiwara: **And there it was! My one-shot! Let me know what you think?! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

All right, lovelies. Because several Beasties were asking for a few more chapters, I figured out a good way to continue this story. I plan on writing perhaps one more chapter in addition to this one but we shall see. However, keep in mind that if I make this a longer work, it will not be going in the direction of the show (so to speak). Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this next installment!

**Also, some of you requested more 'smoky' scenes between Vincent & Catherine. Unfortunately, for this story, I don't want to explore the graphicness of their physical relationship. Sorry.**

^.^;

_**PS) GO CARDINALS! WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES! :D**_

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**Title** | For Her

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | A continuation of BATB's Episode 2.02. This story will be something I think should have happened after the ending but didn't. (Note: this story will contain spoilers).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

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**For Her**

**~Part Two~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Early in the morning, before the sun was even up, Catherine opened her eyes and found Vincent still holding her. His chin was nuzzled against the crook of her neck and she could feel his soft breaths tickling her collarbone. Naturally, she smiled to herself—glad he didn't leave while she was sleeping.

"Hey," she heard him whisper against her neck before planting a soft kiss against her jawbone. "Sleep well?"

"I think _well_ is an understatement." Catherine grinned and then twisted herself around to look at the very man she had spent three entire months searching for. "How about you?"

While Catherine mindlessly started drawing imaginary circles on Vincent's shoulder, he smirked. "I'm not going to lie; I did sleep better than usual." As if he had been waking up to Catherine's beautiful self every single morning, he cupped her face and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. A few days ago, Vincent Keller never would have thought he would be making love to Catherine Chandler—the very woman his boss told him to stay away from. He didn't know _why_ Condor wanted him to stay away from Catherine but he did know that this will be one order he cannot abide by.

"So…" Catherine muttered as she caressed his unshaven face, "Do you have to leave soon?"

Before answering her, he looked at his black sports watch, noted the time and then shook his head. "Not for a while yet."

"When?" Catherine gazed into his eyes as if she had never been parted from him at all.

"A few hours…I have to _check in_ at 10:30 AM and unfortunately, it must be done at my place." Vincent replied, grateful he wouldn't have to leave just yet. Catherine squatted on his pelvis and pulled herself up, giving Vincent a very serious expression. "What?" he asked sincerely.

"How will _us_ work?" Catherine asked in full honesty. "I mean…let's say you're able to meet up with me every night…, renting out hotel rooms is not going to work for us. Do you know how expensive that would be?"

Vincent understood her concern and propped himself up on his elbows. "Okay…maybe I wasn't thinking clearly when we were discussing our plan of action earlier. What about motels? They're pretty cheap, right?"

"I am _not_ having sex with you in a motel. No offense but I'd like to go somewhere a little more romantic than a stuffy place where the owners rarely clean up after their temporary tenants." Catherine scoffed.

"I'm sure not _all_ motels are like that." Vincent claimed as he pushed himself upwards and leaned Catherine backwards until he was directly on top of her. "But, because I can tell motels are certainly going to be a no-go with you, I guess we can figure something else out." Before he could let her answer, he kissed her hard on the mouth and silenced her from responding to his statement. When he pulled away from her, he said, "Let's talk about this later. Right now, I just want to use the time we have left effectively, yeah?"

Silently, Catherine nodded. Even though she desperately wanted to figure everything out ASAP, she trusted Vincent to return to her. After all, Vincent _had_ said they would talk about details later so maybe he was hinting that he wasn't considering _this_ as another one-night-stand? He better not be if Catherine had anything to say about it.

Throughout the morning, she allowed him to touch her intimately. There was no reason why he shouldn't. Besides, they had made love before. They touched each other as if it was natural—as if nothing ever kept them apart. Everything from their lips to their hips fitted together perfectly. Vincent knew he couldn't really remember her but he could tell his body did. Every reaction felt so familiar yet very distant. He remembered feeling a strong desire for a woman but could it be possible this woman was Catherine? or was it a different woman? Surely not. Even if he was a little confused of his feelings for her, it was clear his body loved her. That much was for certain.

As he carefully and gently made love to her, he felt genuine. For the first time, in months, he wasn't being told what to do and he wasn't executing orders. For the first time, he was caving in to his desires and being someone he never thought he could be. He would die before he'd ever tell Condor but, during his months of training, he didn't feel quite right. He felt incomplete like there was something always missing. After meeting and sleeping with Catherine Chandler, he realized exactly what, or rather, whom he was missing. He might have the fancy houseboat and the luxuries Condor always promised him but before Catherine, he never felt like he was home.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

For the past ten hours, Agent Bob Reynolds was in his office watching _everything_ his soldier had been doing to his daughter. He had his suspicions about Vincent and knew there was some connection between his soldier and his daughter but, until that very moment, he wasn't sure. Vincent seemed to think he wasn't being watched but au contraire. Since Catherine's involvement in Vincent's most recent case, he had bugged Catherine's apartment as well as Vincent's houseboat. If either of them ever made any connect—sexual or casual conversation—he wanted to know about it. Most fathers would think him repulsive for spying on his daughter's sexual life but he merely considered it research. At first, he was appalled with the idea of Vincent reconnecting with Catherine. However, based on everything he had seen, he realized his daughter could be a very dependable asset in the future.

The second he heard his office door open, he cleared his monitors and pretended to be working on some paperwork. "Sir," his right-hand man, Agent Randall Tucker, stated as he closed Agent Reynolds' door. "We have lost Intel on Vincent. He's nowhere to be found and he has yet to check in at the houseboat."

"On the contrary, Agent Tucker, I know exactly where Vincent is." Agent Reynolds replied as he turned on his monitors. "As expected, he is with my daughter."

"Sir, aren't you afraid Catherine Chandler will distract him from his duties? More so if he tells her anything that will compromise our mission?"

"So far, Vincent hasn't told her anything to direct him to us. She knows minimal information and if it continues to remain so, she may be used as a vital asset to us." He replied but received a confused look from Tucker. He gestured his hand towards his computer monitors and added, "I have been observing their every move since he has arrived to my daughter's apartment. During their intimate interactions, he has yet to flip the switch, thus proving he has more control than we had originally thought. We thought he lost control whenever his adrenaline would rise but apparently, that is not the case. I think his beastly urges originate from his emotions so when he is either angry or feels the need to protect himself, the Beast emerges. However, Vincent is still able to change when desired as well. Based on this information, his abilities are much more appreciated."

"Sir," Agent Tucker raised his brow, "That doesn't explain your daughter's involvement."

"For years Muirfield has been trying to create the perfect super soldier and by far, Vincent is the best specimen. However, I believe a natural-born mutant may be what they were looking for. Think about it, if a child emerges from Vincent and my daughter's sexual relationship, he or she would be human enough to blend in to society as well as control his or her urges but beasty enough to have the super strength and everything inherited from his or her father. It's quite possible Vincent and my daughter's offspring, if they were ever to conceive, may never have the problem of turning into beasts. After all, Vincent was a human before Muirfield tampered with his DNA so he still has some human aspects to his genetic code. In a sense, their child would be 3/4ths human and 1/4th beast. Essentially, any offspring of Vincent and Catherine will be perfect for our organization. He or she will be the first of an entirely new, natural species. In the future, if Catherine ever does become pregnant with Vincent's child, we must obtain it and raise it for our advantages."

"What will become of Vincent and Catherine if they do not cooperate in giving up their child?"

"Oh they will, Agent Tucker. They most certainly will." Agent Reynolds smirked. _They_ wouldn't have a choice. One way or another, he will get his hands on their future offspring and his grandchild will abide to his will.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

As Vincent ran his fingers through her hair, he fused his lips with hers as if nothing else mattered. Catherine's body was on fire and she desperately wanted more time with her newly rekindled lover. While the lovers made every intention to leave their worries behind them as they profusely made love to one another, the instant they heard Vincent's watch beep at 9:45 AM, they were brought back to reality.

"Do you really have to go now?" Catherine asked, disappointed. He feathered kisses along the nape of her neck before lifting his head to answer her.

"Not quite." He muttered as he kissed her again. He just couldn't get enough of her! The fact that he had to leave within the hour tormented him and he just wished he could make love to her all day!

"Then why did your watch go off?" Catherine asked between kisses.

"So we can do this…" he mumbled softly against her bottom lip. With her legs still latched around his hips, he sat up, pulled her into his arms, scooted off of her bed while keeping her body pressed against him, and walked to her bathroom.

She uncoiled her legs from him and reached over to turn on the shower. As the water pelted against their already steamy bodies, Vincent gently wrapped his arms around Catherine from behind her and pulled her tightly against him. "Just because we're in the shower," he muttered against her ear, "doesn't mean we're finished yet." In one swift action, he spun her around and crashed his lips against her as skin melted against skin. There was only one thing on Vincent's and Catherine's mind and it had nothing to do with showering off. Absolutely nothing.

"You know," Catherine mumbled against his ear as he pulled her closer to him, "I have the day off…so…we don't have to end this just yet."

"Are you trying to seduce me into taking you to my place again?" he chuckled before licking his lips.

"Is it working?" she scrunched up her nose and hinted a smile, hoping he was falling for her seductive-attempted tactics.

"You tell me," he muttered before nibbling on her bottom lip. She circled her arms around his neck and continued kissing him. If she had to crawl her way back to his houseboat, she would. There was no way Vincent Keller was going to escape from her. Not now. Not ever again.

The two lovers sighed with frustration when they realized it was about time for Vincent to leave. He turned off her shower faucet, picked her up and carried her back to her room. He placed her on her bed and gave her a quick kiss before slipping on his jeans. "If you want to come with me, you can't bring anything with you other than yourself. No car, no cell, no clothes." Vincent placed his hands on her knees and leaned closer to her. "Understand?"

"I understand the car and the cell part but no clothes? Really?" she raised her eyebrow. "You expect me to walk around Manhattan buck naked?!"

"I can't risk you leaving a garment at my place. And no, you won't be buck nude; you'd be wearing this." Vincent replied before he picked up his t-shirt and handed it to her. "Agree to the terms?"

Without replying, she slipped on his dark t-shirt and pulled her hair out from underneath its collar. "Something tells me you have more in store for us once we get back to your place."

"Maybe." He chuckled before planting another kiss on her lips. "Ready?"

"Not yet…. Despite what you've ordered, I do need my phone. If Tess calls me about another case, I'm going to need to have it on me. Can't you just do that neat trick you did last time if you're so worried about someone tracking me?"

Vincent sighed. "If it can't be helped…" He walked over to her bedside table and pulled the phone off of its charger. "Ready now?"

"I guess." She sighed, unsure of Vincent's plan to carry her across the heavily populated streets of New York City without _someone _noticing her indecency. "Just how do you plan on taking me over there without a single person seeing us looking like this?"

"You'll see." He muttered before pulling her into his arms as if he were carrying over the threshold for the first time. He raced them out of her apartment, leapt up the fire escape steps and jumped onto the complex's roof. "Hold on tightly." He demanded before he charged to the edge of the building. Catherine refused to close her eyes even though she knew she probably would regret it later. She wanted to see what her boyfriend sees every time he's hopping from rooftop to rooftop. How other people wouldn't see him, she didn't know but she trusted him. The thrill of flying across streets excited her in many different ways. Was it because it was reckless and dangerous? Or was it more because she was finally spending time with her boyfriend on a more intimate level where he trusted himself to protect her as he leapt over the crowded streets. She didn't know but the fact that she was with him was all she cared about. He was finally letting her in and she hoped it would continue to go that way.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Are you sure it's safe for me to be here?" Catherine asked as they walked into the houseboat. "I mean, you're boss won't find out, right?"

"I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought they could." Vincent replied. "Now, go upstairs. I'll be there shortly."

"You have to call in now?"

"Yeah," Vincent replied. "And it's best you don't hear the conversation."

"O-okay." Catherine consented before giving him a short kiss. "I'll wait for you upstairs." Although she wanted to listen in on his conversation with his boss, she knew she would be overstepping several boundaries and she couldn't handle it if he hit her again. The last time was more of an accident—a reaction. If he ever hit her again, she wouldn't _how_ to classify it.

As Vincent watched Catherine disappear while she climbed the stairs, he waited until she was completely out of site before pulling out his metal briefcase. After clicking it open, he took out the phone and called Condor.

"_Good work, soldier. The rogue specimen won't be hurting anyone anymore. You were right to have killed him."_

Vincent's mind flashed back to when he speared the other beast in front of Catherine. Was he really in the right? Or was he just following orders? "My next mission?" Vincent asked, trying to present himself as emotionally unattached.

"_As it turns out, your next target has murdered another victim last night. We know not of his identification and unfortunately, the 125__th__ has jurisdiction over the case."_

Before Condor could finish, Vincent cut in and quietly exclaimed, "Isn't the 125th the same precinct that this Catherine Chandler works at?" He had to pretend he didn't know her on a personal level if he wanted to continue to see her without Condor finding out about their sexual relationship.

"_Good memory, soldier. Yes, you are correct. That being said, since the two of you have past history together, I want you to get in touch with her, and once she gets Intel on the case, I want you to seduce the information out of her. Use whatever means possible. But whatever you do, Vincent, do not kill her. Understand, soldier?" _

"Yes, sir. But why can't the FBI's jurisdiction overpower the precinct's?"

"_We've involved ourselves in too many linked cases. If we continue to do so, someone might happen to connect the dots. We don't want that, soldier. So you __**must**__ succeed in gaining your information from Catherine Chandler. Only she will trust you enough to tell you everything."_

"Affirmative." Vincent nodded and ended the call before putting the phone back into its case. As he hid the case underneath his counter, Catherine came rushing down the steps. "What's wrong?"

"I have to get home." Catherine stated, rushed. "Got a call from Tess and there was another murder…and the body is covered in lashes much like Li Zhao. The sooner I can get myself a fresh pair of clothes and hurry to the crime scene, the sooner I can clear your name. Right now, Tess thinks you're involved."

"So you want to tell her we've been having sex for the past ten hours?" Vincent raised his eyebrow.

"No," Catherine replied, "But she has to know you have an alibi. I could just tell her you and I have been talking all night or something. In any case, you need to take me home ASAP." Catherine walked over to his front door and opened it. "I can't get home without you, Vincent."

"All right. I'm coming." He replied disappointedly. He wasn't mad at Catherine or at the fact that she had to get home. Hell, he wasn't even mad at Condor for wanting him to seduce the woman he's already been making love to. What he _was_ mad at was the fact that he and Catherine had to return to their daily lives.

While he ran her across the rooftops, he didn't feel right about going behind her back. Risking everything, he decided to inform her of Condor's plans. When they landed on her rooftop, he stopped her before she could rush off to the roof's door. "I got to tell you something."

She turned to look at him and could tell he was conflicted. "What is it?"

"What I'm about to say is strictly confidential and you could get into a lot of trouble by finding this out but it's something you need to know." Vincent continued. "Uh…my boss…well he told me of the case that was just handed to you and Tess. He already informed me that the crime scene is under the 125th's jurisdiction. That being said, he wants me to gather information with a different approach."

"What does he want you to do, Vincent?"

"He…well…he wants me to seduce the information out of you. He told me to…uh…do whatever is necessary." Vincent blushed for the first time in a long time. At least, he thought it was a long time.

"What will you do with the information?" Catherine asked as she made sure Vincent still had the right intentions.

"Once I learn who the perpetrator is, my job is simple: kill the beast." Vincent answered point-blankly.

"So you think the perpetrator is another beast? What gives you that idea?"

"I just know." Vincent stated, not wanting to give her too much information. Sensing her disappointment, he placed his hands on her shoulders and added, "Hey, if I could tell you everything, I would. But, for your protection, it's better you stay in the dark." He tugged at her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Look, I promise I won't kill anyone until I know for certain of whom I'm dealing with, yeah?"

"But…what gives you the power to take someone's life? Yes, I understand you're dealing with rogue beasts but...what if everything is a misunderstanding?" Catherine asked as she crossed her arms.

"How do you mean?" Vincent raised his eyebrow, trying to figure this woman out.

"Well…before you were kidnapped…several years, actually. _You_ had killed a man for assaulting a woman. It was an accident, of course. But, the fact is, you killed him. I know…I know you don't remember any of this but still…what if this perpetrator…this beast…is like you? What if he was trying to help someone by attacking the assailant but ended up killing him or her instead? That would be considered an accident right? What I'm saying is…you were given a second chance…several second chances, actually, so don't you think another beast deserves the same thing?" As Vincent heard Catherine speak, he couldn't help but wonder the same thing too. Like him, these beasts were once human. Was it possible this murder was actually an accident gone wrong? He would have to investigate further before he decided to make a decision.

"I guess it _is_ possible but there's also a big chance you might be wrong…that this beast _is_ a murder machine. In either situation, you're going to have to keep updating me on the case before I could even make a decision." Vincent said.

"And if Big Daddy orders you to kill the perp?" Catherine pressed her lips together as she looked at him sternly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Vincent replied honestly.

Catherine didn't like Vincent's uncertainty but at least he wasn't strictly on the path to killing this beast. Could it be possible she's getting through to him? If it were the other day, Vincent probably wouldn't think twice about killing his victim. So…indecision was good, right? "If you think I'm going to hand over the information like it's a slice of pie, you're definitely barking up the wrong tree, buddy." She stated firmly before walking towards the door on the roof.

"And that would be why I was ordered to seduce you." Vincent smirked as he followed her into her apartment building.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Agent Reynolds couldn't help but smile at his full-proof plan. Not only did he have Vincent wrapped around his finger but soon, Catherine Chandler would be playing right into his hands. Unknown to his soldier, Agent Reynolds would be three steps ahead at all times. Vincent believed him when he said he didn't know who the _beast _was. But au contraire. He knew _exactly_ who was behind the claws and once the evidence leads Vincent and his daughter right where he wanted them, everything would be put into place.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: **Hmmmm…so I think I'm going to continue this story after all. I have a good route for this one so maybe it'll be a little more than just a three-chaptered fanfiction. Happy reading!

I changed the name from Albertson to Tucker once I learned of the agent's actual name! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

So I started typing this next installment like a week ago but life caught up to me and I became REALLY BUSY. DX

All right, lovelies. Because several Beasties were asking for a few more chapters, I figured out a good way to continue this story. I plan on writing perhaps one more chapter in addition to this one but we shall see. However, keep in mind that if I make this a longer work, it will not be going in the direction of the show (so to speak). Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this next installment!

Also, some of you requested more 'smoky' scenes between Vincent & Catherine. Unfortunately, for this story, I don't want to explore the graphicness of their physical relationship. Sorry.

^.^;

_**PS) GO CARDINALS! WE'RE PLAYING THE WORLD SERIES! :D**_

* * *

**Title** | For Her

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | A continuation of BATB's Episode 2.02. This story will be something I think should have happened after the ending but didn't. (Note: this story will contain spoilers).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

**For Her**

**~Part Three~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

As much as Catherine wanted to stay behind the dark alley and kiss Vincent senseless, she had work to do. However, every time she tried to sneak away from his possessive hands, he would hold onto her even tighter. "Vincent," she mumbled into his ear as he trailed kisses along her neck, "I have work to do…"

"As do I…" he muttered back before pulling at her bottom lip with his mouth. Catherine leaned her head against the brick wall and whimpered an audible moan as Vincent nibbled at her earlobe.

"Vincent!" she uttered lowly, trying to catch his attention without alerting her precinct of their presence. He continued sucking on her skin and pretended not to hear. "Vincent!" she muttered again.

He still didn't stop kissing the nape of her neck. She called his name again and again but after the fourth or so time, he crammed his mouth against hers in efforts to stop her from calling out to him. That definitely pissed Catherine off. She might love the guy but she will _not_ tolerate _anyone_ using sexual tactics to try to shut her up. Aware of the risks, she courageously clamped down on his tongue with her teeth, forcing him backwards.

"What the hell was that for?!" Vincent exclaimed as Catherine noted his eyes shifting from his usual brown to marigold.

"I was _trying_ to get your attention!" she snapped, folding her arms against her chest.

"Well you have it!" he fired back, equally as pissed off. "What were you thinking?! I could have—" he briefly paused when he realized he was shouting at her, "—I could have hurt you again!"

"It was a risk I had to take." Catherine stated. "Anyway, _now_ that I have your undivided attention, I have to go. If I don't show up sooner or later, Tess will bite my ass. Now, you can either come _with _me or stay here until I'm finished but, like you, I have a job to do—an _important_ job to do."

Vincent took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're right. I'm sorry for…being caught up in the moment." Vincent smirked as he reminisced of his recent make out session with Catherine. "I can't promise it won't happen again but I'll try to behave myself."

"Good." Catherine said. "Now are you coming with me or staying?"

"Actually," Vincent sighed, "I have some errands to run…so…I'll just meet up with you later, yeah?" Vincent cupped her face with the desire to kiss her again. He leaned in close to her but he kept his distance so he wouldn't end up sweeping her off of her feet and carrying her back to his place. Only the Lord knew how much he wanted to though.

"Where?" she asked as her breath tickled his stubble. Catherine had no idea how to contact Vincent and if they were going to try and make things work between them, they need to establish a meeting place.

"You're rooftop, 6 PM?" Vincent shrugged and then added, "Maybe, if you have time later, you can prepare that picnic we never had last night."

"Maybe." She smiled before receiving a light kiss on the lips. "Let's hope JT doesn't eat them this time."

Vincent chuckled and flashed a genuine smile. "Let's hope."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Sorry I'm late!" Catherine called out to her partner as she jogged over to the crime scene. "Did I miss anything important?"

Ignoring her latter question, Tess crossed her arms and frowned, "You _do_ realize I called you about twenty freaking times, right? Where _were_ you?!"

"Traffic can be a bitch sometimes, you know?" Catherine deflected, hoping Tess wouldn't ask her any more questions.

"Really?" Tess cocked her head, "Traffic, that's what you're going with? _Catherine_, if you're lying to me again, I swear I'm going to punch you in the face—best friend or not." Tess was really pissed at her best friend. She didn't have to be a polygraph to know that Cat was lying. Hopefully, emphasizing her full first name would show Cat just how peeved she was.

"Fine," Catherine sighed. "If you _must_ know where I was, I was with Vincent." Catherine said as she tried to stop herself from blushing.

"When you say with Vincent, do you mean with Vincent or _with_ Vincent?" Tess asked but she somewhat already knew the answer.

"Does it matter?" Catherine shrugged. "Anyway, I can tell you _one_ thing: Vincent didn't do this. He has an alibi."

Before Tess could ask any more questions, Gabe approached the female partners and said, "Victim's name was Stephen Stephenson. H—."

"How original…" Tess cut in and rolled her eyes. "But please continue Boss."

"As I was saying," Gabe sighed, knowing the day was already going to be a long one, "he recently moved from Hawaii due to his wife's military duty so I have reason to believe his killer wasn't an acquaintance. But, I have to say, if Vincent didn't ki—"

"He didn't," Catherine immediately refuted Gabe's suspicions. "Long story short: I was with Vincent all night last night." When she suddenly received two disgusted looks, she quickly shook her head, "We weren't _doing_ anything," she lied, "We were just…talking."

"Right," Tess shook her head in disdain, "talking…cuz that's what you to do at night when no one's around." Catherine gave her best friend a stern look but Gabe was the one who saved the day.

"Ladies, now isn't the time to be discussing one another's love lives…or lack thereof. If Cat says Vincent didn't do it, he didn't do it. So, which begs the question, who did kill Stephen Stephenson? And why? Since this case is…indeed a special crime…I suggest you two start working on it."

"Yes, boss." Tess and Catherine replied in unison. Tess whipped around and headed towards the body while Gabe grabbed Catherine's arm, gesturing her to stay for a moment longer. "Sir?"

"Cat, whatever you do about this mission, I order you _not_ to tell Vincent anything. He is clearly working for higher officials and since we know nothing of them, we can't risk him learning anything he can't figure out himself. Understood?"

"Gabe, with all due respect, I think Vincent might be a valuable asset. He obviously has resources we do not and if I can convince him to help us on this case, maybe we can convince him to double cross his higher-ups. It's risky, I know but what do we have to lose?" Catherine asked honestly.

"Gee, I don't know: our heads?! I understand your strategy, Cat, but remember the last time you tried to pressure him into answering your questions!? He practically threw you across the roof!"

"I know but things are…different now. We managed to sort out our differences so if you can let m—"

"Cat, I've told you my opinion on the matter. So, for now, don't tell Vincent anything concerning this investigation. If you _must_ talk with Vincent, talk about the weather…and current events. Whatever you do, _don't_ talk about your job. If he can't tell you about his, why should you tell him about yours?" Before Catherine could reply, Gabe walked off and rejoined the other officers.

"Perfect…" she smirked and muttered to herself, "Let the games begin."

"Cat! You coming?!" she heard her partner yell from across the crime scene.

"Be right there!" she called out as she shook her thoughts away. If only Catherine knew who Vincent's boss really was.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Even though he couldn't remember Catherine from his old life, he was starting to fall for her. He could certainly see how he fell in love with her the first time around. Aside from her beauty, she's strong and independent and occasionally stubborn. If there was any woman in the world who could keep Vincent's toes in line, it was definitely Catherine Chandler. He didn't have to remember his memories to know that.

As he made his way to the Gentlemen's Guild, he couldn't help but think of Catherine. He wondered if it was a good idea to leave her to her work. He didn't doubt her loyalty and because he told her what Condor wanted him to do, she knew he trusted her. However, because of what Condor wanted him to do, he was worried for her. What if Condor sent another agent as a failsafe? What if someone else was sexually forcing the information out of her? The very thought of another man hurting her made his blood boil. Anyone who even tried to hurt Catherine would face terrible consequences. To relieve his mind, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed Catherine's number.

He would never tell her that he copied down her phone number while she was still passed out last night when he had kidnapped her. He figured it would come in handy one day. If he could just hear her voice, he would feel better. _"Chandler." _

He didn't say anything as he was analyzing the sound of her voice. It was not emulated with fear or confusion but rather constructed with confidence. Good. She wasn't in trouble. _"Hello?"_ she had asked when he didn't give her a reply.

"Sorry," Vincent faked a New Zealand accent, "Wrong number." Before she could respond, he ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

He needed someone to talk to—someone who could help him clear his mind and doesn't have direct ties to the case he and Catherine are supposedly working on together. There was no way he was going to talk to Condor because Condor would only tell him to harden his heart and cut any emotional ties with Catherine Chandler. To hell with that. So, after mentally going through his very short list of friends/ acquaintances, only one candidate seemed like the most rational 'talking buddy': JT Forbes.

Vincent knocked on JT's door a few times and waited a few seconds. He could hear someone jumping to loud music from beyond the doors so when JT didn't answer, he took liberty to walk in unannounced. "Hey." he called out, causing a very sweaty JT Forbes to jump three feet into the air.

"Oh! Hey!" JT exclaimed as he stopped jump roping and turned off the music.

"I…uh…I knocked." Vincent stated.

"No it's cool!" JT smiled. "I mean, this place used to be your place too so don't bother knocking. Just come in when you want to…"

"You seem…unnerved." Vincent observed as he heard JT's heart thumping and his blood pumping through his veins.

JT shook his head vigorously. "Sorry man…I'm just…I guess I'm just a little freaked at the new you. NOT that the new you isn't a BAD thing. In fact, I think the new you is actually pretty cool…minus the tranque-your-best-friend program Big Daddy Question Mark installed into your brain." JT smiled awkwardly to try to diffuse the tension.

"Sorry about that…"

"No. It's cool. You had trust issues so I can see where you were coming from. Just don't do that again." JT replied more calmly. "Anyway, is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah…" Vincent stated, "You busy right now?"

"For a friend? Never." JT shook his head.

"Good. I need to talk to someone I can trust. Since you basically harbored me for ten years and didn't turn me in while you had the chance, I figured you were the best candidate. Now, can I trust you to never tell a single soul what I'm about to convey to you?"

"If it means keeping my head attached to my neck, I'm in." JT replied with a smirk. "What's on your mind?"

Vincent decided this conversation was going to take a while so he sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. "I hurt _her_…"

JT stopped everything he was doing and gave Vincent a genuine heart-stopping look. "Ph-physically?"

"Yeah…" Vincent replied solemnly. "But she's okay…for the most part. However, I hit her hard enough to leave a large bruise on her stomach."

"What happened?" JT asked as he took a seat next to Vincent. "I mean, was it on purpose?"

"No." Vincent shook his head truthfully. "I got angry…and snapped. She hit the ground before I could even stop myself. However…that's not what I came here to talk about. You see…we sort of…reconnected quite a few times in the past 24 hours."

"Like sexually reconnected?"

"Yeah…and I'm feeling a little conflicted about a few things." Vincent confessed. "Before you assume anything, I'm not going to give you the detailed report of everything we did together but…because you're not my boss and you don't seem like gossiper, I figured you could help me sort a few things out."

"Sure man." JT said, inviting Vincent to continue.

"First thing's first: I haven't regained any part of my memory…, but…I still can't help but want to be around Catherine. At the same time, I'm supposed to be working these highly classified cases where I can't tell anyone anything about them. However, she's so damn stubborn and too smart for her own good! Despite everything that's supposed to be confidential, she's able to figure my cases out before I can even make a move on the bad guys." JT laughed, causing Vincent to stop talking. "Find something funny?" He wasn't pissed off; he was simply curious.

"One thing you have to know about Cat is that she IS a detective. She's used to solving puzzles so, yes, that doesn't seem surprising she's able to figure your cases out—especially if you leave enough clues for her to put together."

"Right…well, now that we've sort of…reconnected…I desperately _want_ to tell her who I work for and what I do during the day. I mean, I do trust her but I'm worried that if I _do_ tell her what's going on in my life, she'll get in danger. My question is: have I ever confronted a similar situation before?"

"Damn straight." JT chuckled. "Almost every day you struggled with _something_ concerning Catherine's safety. I recall you trying to push her away for weeks until you realized you weren't going to be able to get rid of her. After your first kiss, you also were worried about continuing your relationship because of the type of life you lived."

"And what happened?"

"You two came up with a very good solution to end your worries." JT sneered.

"Which was what?" Vincent was getting agitated.

JT cocked his head and said, "The best remedy you probably could ever think of: sex."

"Are you telling me that we had sex as a result of me fearing I would hurt her while having sex?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"Yup." JT laughed. "So, as you've mentioned, you two have already started having sex again. If _that_ isn't an indication on whether or not you can trust her with your missions, I don't know what is. It's obvious she wants to help you on your missions—not stop you."

"So you think I can trust her?"

"Dude, Catherine was the only one who never stopped looking for you. If not for her stubborn ass, I probably would have given up. I know she would never admit this to anyone aside from you, but she blames herself for your capture. I won't go into any detail because it's something she should discuss with you but if you're really confused on whom you should trust, answer this: Could you trust someone who had dedicated her life trying to find you for the past three months? Or could you trust someone who had wiped your memory clean as a failsafe so you could follow their orders like a dog follows its master?"

As Vincent listened to JT, he couldn't help but wonder the same thing. _Why_ had Condor erase his memory? _What_ did he know that Condor didn't want him to remember? The more Vincent thought about his entire situation, the more uneasy he felt. He had been working on these missions for almost a month and never questioned a single order. However, ever since Catherine reentered his life, he could see the seemingly wonderful life he had before being rebooted as new software. "You bring up a valid argument…" Vincent said quietly. "Now, something strange has happened today…. So, Catherine and I have…been together all night last night…and when I checked in with my boss, he told me to seduce Catherine for information on a case."

"Okay…how is seducing your semi-girlfriend necessarily a bad thing?"

"That's not what I'm worried about…." Vincent replied before taking another deep breath. "Seducing Catherine is not a problem…well, it technically can't be called seducing if she already knows of the mission anyway…but why Catherine? I mean, Cond—my boss," he immediately corrected himself, "could have chosen _any_ woman from the precinct. He specifically told me to stay away from her in the beginning but now he's telling me to make love to her for information? It doesn't make sense!"

"I'm a little lost…" JT scratched his head. "Big Daddy wants you to sleep with Catherine in order to obtain some information on a case when you can easily sneak up to the crime scene, late at night, and use your spidey-senses to figure out the case in a matter of minutes? You're right! It doesn't make sense."

"Well, I never thought about it that way, but you do bring up a great thought. I was merely confused because if I were my boss, I would not assign myself such a mission in the event I end up falling in love with Catherine. But you also bring up a valid point." Vincent said as he leaned his head back against the couch.

"You think your boss is onto you for sleeping with Catherine?"

"No…I don't think so. If he was, he would have mentioned it by now." Vincent said. "Wait…" Vincent suddenly widened his eyes, "I know one thing is for sure: my boss knows of Catherine and of my past history with her. He made the mistake by telling me to stay away from her…that old flames are dangerous. That was when I figured out he knew Catherine was more than just someone who protected me in my past. So what if…what if it isn't the mission he cares about?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Vincent pushed back his hair as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on inside Condor's mind. "Well, he always told me to never depend on anyone for information. He conditioned me to believe I could handle every investigation on my own and figure out answers by myself. If he taught me all of those things, then why bet on me trusting Catherine to give me answers concerning her case? So…I'm beginning to believe that, yes, he wants me to solve the case but…he also wants me to spend undercover time with Catherine. The question is: why?"

JT leaned forward and touched his chin. "Maybe it has something to do with Catherine?" As the men stopped talking to try and solve the puzzle, Vincent noticed a damaged iPad sitting on JT's desk. As he stared at it, flashes of a man popping up on the screen entered his mind.

"May I take a look at that iPad on your desk?" Vincent asked as he pointed in front of him.

"Sure. Go for it." JT replied. "The thing died several months ago so I don't think you'll be able to get it to work."

"That doesn't matter." Vincent said as he stood up and walked over to the desk. Carefully, he picked up the broken device and sniffed it. He could smell four distinct smells still lingering around it—JT's scent being the strongest. He recognized two other smells—Catherine's partner and of course, Catherine. However, the fourth scent was unfamiliar but familiar all the same. He figured he must have smelt the scent once before…before he lost his memory. Each smell brought him a new memory surrounding the iPad.

He could see Catherine's partner and JT holding at it—looking at its contents. Then his mind remapped the iPad's trail and he could see the iPad being tampered with…someone had slammed it against a table and then handed it to Catherine's partner. She looked at it and he could see exactly what she had seen—Condor. Why would Condor's face be the last image on the iPad before it was destroyed? The rest of the memories were unclear and there was one way he was going to clearly trace them back if he wanted to understand the mysteries behind the iPad. Perhaps if he could figure out why Condor was plastered on a broken iPad screen, maybe he can figure out why Condor has something against Catherine.

"Uhhh…Do you mind if I take this? I gotta get going and there's something about this iPad that intrigues me." Vincent asked as he looked at JT.

"I don't see why you can't. Just bring it back, okay? Catherine wants me to try and dig up some of the files. I keep telling her it's pointless but I leave it on my desk so she actually thinks I'm still working on it." JT tried to hide a smirk. "I hate lying to her and telling her I'm still trying to uncover the files but I feel like if I tell her what's _really_ on there, she'll freak." JT stood up and walked over to the fridge to grab a beer.

"Why does Catherine want you to uncover its files? Is this device hers?" Vincent asked even though he knew he should really get going.

"No…Her…It belonged to her dad." JT replied. Vincent nodded, realizing the unfamiliar scent must have been her father's. "The content on the iPad was the main reason he was killed. Before Tess had handed it over to me, she got some other tech-nerd to make it work. However, the thing died shortly after I obtained it." JT shrugged. "Either we all have the worst luck in the world or someone really doesn't want Catherine to know something."

"Did you ever figure out what was on the device?"

"Yeah…well, sort of. Tess showed me this picture of some FBI Homeland Security dude. She claimed to have seen him before…at the precinct so we figured he had _something_ to do with Muirfield. Or that he was taking over Muirfield. We're not quite sure but whatever is going on with the guy, it has something to do with Daddy Chandler's death."

"If you don't mind me asking, how was he killed?" Vincent asked.

"Well, while you…the old you…and Cat were celebrating your first day as human—" JT paused when he saw Vincent's confused face, "long story, dude. Perhaps another time. Anyway, Daddy Chandler called Cat and told her he wanted to meet with her right away. That's one good indicator he wasn't killed by accident. Cat told me he seemed jaded…so he probably suspected someone was following him or something. I don't know all of the details but the whole situation seems sketchy. As Cat was approaching him at the intersection of 5th Avenue and West 23rd Street, someone pushed him forward as a vehicle headed straight for him. Police regard it as a hit and run but Cat knew better than to dismiss something so odd. He was in ICU for weeks and a month ago, he passed away."

Everything started to make sense. He didn't realize Catherine's father had died during his absence. No wonder she was desperate to find him. In ways, he was all she had to hold onto. "So…this guy, do you remember what he looked like?"

"No…not really. The screen is cracked after all. So his face could have been easily distorted. But…the weird thing? Cat's father was an esquire but he received a highly classified email from the Department of Homeland Security. Either Cat's father was higher up on the food chain or he really wanted to keep tabs on that man. The question is: why?" JT shrugged.

Vincent couldn't answer him. There were so many mysteries surrounding Condor and for some reason, he believed it had to do with Catherine. Even though he knew Condor knows he and Catherine have a past together, the fact about him not wanted Vincent to be near Catherine (at first) was confusing. Not once has Condor told him to stay away from JT or any other person from his past. So why Catherine? Why only her?

"I've gotta go." Vincent stated abruptly. "Thanks for…talking. I promise I'll return this as soon as possible. Oh and don't tell Catherine I have it. I don't want her to think I'm conspiring against her or something." Vincent said as he started walking backwards towards the exit.

"My lips are sealed." JT replied as he pretended to button his lips.

Before anything else could be said, Vincent whipped around and swiftly walked out of the Gentlemen's Guild and headed towards the intersection of 5th Avenue and West 23rd Street. Perhaps he could trace the iPad's path as far back as where Catherine's father was _before_ the accident. Perhaps he could learn the secrets behind Condor once and for all. He had thousands of questions and he needed answers.

As much as he wanted Catherine to join him on his little expedition, he thought it would be best for her not to open old wounds. He wouldn't want to cause her to cry again. Besides, he might lead himself to a dead end so until he figures out what might be the reasons behind Catherine's father's death, it wasn't worth her tears. Nothing is _ever_ worth Catherine Chandler's tears. And he'll be damned if he ever made her cry again.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: Ah! Sorry for the super long wait! My week has been super busy and I finally managed to find some time to write! **

**Think I should continue? Please review! :)**

**ps. For those of you who read _Shadow Bound_, expect a chapter SOMETIME this week! Hopefully by next weekend. :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

I have a little bit of free time to update at least one of my fanfictions. I am currently babysitting and therefore without internet…meaning…I can't work on my homework. Anyway, hope my hiatus doesn't mean I'm losing my touch.

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**Title** | For Her

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | A continuation of BATB's Episode 2.02. This story will be something I think should have happened after the ending but didn't. (Note: this story will contain spoilers).

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Last time…**

_Before anything else could be said, Vincent whipped around and swiftly walked out of the Gentlemen's Guild and headed towards the intersection of 5__th__ Avenue and West 23__rd__ Street. Perhaps he could trace the iPad's path as far back as where Catherine's father was before the accident. Perhaps he could learn the secrets behind Condor once and for all. He had thousands of questions and he needed answers. _

_As much as he wanted Catherine to join him on his little expedition, he thought it would be best for her not to open old wounds. He wouldn't want to cause her to cry again. Besides, he might lead himself to a dead end so until he figures out what might be the reasons behind Catherine's father's death, it wasn't worth her tears. Nothing is ever worth Catherine Chandler's tears. And he'll be damned if he ever made her cry again._

* * *

**For Her**

**~Part Four~**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine and Tess slowly pulled out their guns as they approached the Stephensons' apartment—someone was home and based on the level of crashing sounds and angry grunts, it certainly wasn't the wife. "You think it's our killer?" Catherine asked her partner with a low voice.

"Not sure…it could be anyone, really. A pissed-off neighbor, maybe?" Tess shrugged but kept her eye on the door.

"It's possible." Catherine nodded but both women gazed at each other when they heard a shrilling female scream. Immediately, Tess kicked the door open and Catherine ran ahead of her, shouting "NYPD!" She heard the window break and called back to Tess, "He's running!"

"On it! Call for backup while you check to see if she's okay!" Tess hollered back before she darted out of the apartment to chase the runner.

Catherine pulled out her walkie-talkie and quickly said, "Chandler and Vargas requesting backup! I repeat! Chandler and Vargas requesting for backup! Location: 121 Reade Street!" Instead of waiting for a reply, she stuffed the walkie-talkie back into her back belt pocket and started looking for the woman. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?!"

No answer.

She continued walking further into the apartment. "Miss! My name is Detective Catherine Chandler. Can you give me any indication to where you are or if you're okay?"

Again, no answer.

She slowly walked into the master bedroom and pulled out her gun as she approached the bathroom door. "Hello?" she asked again but when she received no answer, she pushed the door open with hopes of finding a live person inside. The second the door opened, the second Catherine knew something was wrong. The entire room was filled with steam but the shower was not on—which could mean only one thing: it was recently turned off. She quietly walked into the bathroom with her gun still drawn out and prayed that she wasn't walking into some kind of trap.

As she walked closer to the shower, she could see a scared woman curled into a ball. Her mouth was gagged and her hands and feet were tied together. So it was obvious the intruder didn't want to kill her so maybe they're dealing with someone who is in love with this woman? Perhaps in a very sick way?

Catherine couldn't be too sure of the answer. All she knew was that someone wanted this woman's husband dead but not her. Why?

Catherine carefully approached her and slowly crouched down to untie the cloth gagging the woman's mouth. "Mrs. Abigail Stephenson?" The woman nodded and stretched out her mouth as Catherine untied her hands and feet. "Are you hurt in any way?"

"No." she replied. "I'm fine."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Catherine asked cautiously. The last thing she wanted was a hysterical woman on her hands.

"It happened way too fast…One moment I was stepping out of the shower and the next, some man in a mask grabs me and tries to force himself on me. I screamed, obviously, and when someone yelled "NYPD," he quickly gagged my mouth and tied my limbs together. Perhaps because he didn't want me chasing him?" She looked confused and embarrassed. Catherine may not be able to relate to her but she's seen it all before.

"Just be grateful he didn't succeed or hurt you." Catherine tried to smile and helped Abigail onto her feet. "I'll step out while you uh…get cleaned up and dressed." Catherine quickly walked out of the bathroom and waited for Abigail to make herself presentable. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was wearing a blue bathrobe with a towel hanging around her neck. "Mrs. Stephenson, did you get a good look at your attacker's face?"

"No." she frowned. "I didn't."

"Notice any tattoos or bodily markings or even piercings that could help us narrow down our search?" Catherine asked as she pulled out her phone to take notes.

"Actually," Abigail paused as she tried to remember the event, "He had…he had a scar along his neck…it was long and it ran from his jaw to his collarbone. I think he also had a tattoo on his shoulder…it was some Asian character…I couldn't tell you what it was, though." She replied as she shook herself from her thoughts. "I'm sorry…I'm still a little freaked out."

"Understandable." Catherine nodded. "I've sent the brief description to my colleagues; they should be cross-referencing the databases as we speak. Hopefully we can identify your attacker."

"Let's hope…" Abigail nodded. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where my husband, Stephen, is? He hasn't been home since yesterday morning and I'm worried about him. He's never late from work."

Catherine sighed. It was better for Abigail to learn of the truth sooner than later. "You might want to sit down." Catherine replied sympathetically.

"Why? Do you know where he is?" she was worried.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Abigail, but your husband, Stephen Stephenson, was found dead this morning." Catherine cringed when Abigail suddenly broke out in sobs.

"H-how?"

"The crime scene is still under investigation. However, we do know his death wasn't accidental or suicidal." Catherine spared Abigail the gory details; the last thing she needed to know was that her husband was found mauled to death by some sort of beast. "Is there anything I can do for you…to make things easier?"

She clamped her hands over her mouth and shook her head as more tears fell from her eyes.

"All right…" Catherine sighed as her walkie-talkie went off: "Cat—the perp's in custody. What's your status?"

Catherine picked up her walkie-talkie and replied, "Mrs. Stephenson is alive and all right. I don't think the perp is related to her husband's murder, though. I'll tell you more later but she's okay—she's mourning but she's okay."

"Okay." Tess had replied.

Catherine put her walkie-talkie back away and said to Abigail, "Listen…I can't imagine what you're going through…but I'm going to request a few of my colleagues to survey your apartment building today… If you need to go anywhere, feel free to be escorted to your destination. That's what they're paid for."

Abigail wiped her nose and stuttered, "W-was he smiling?"

"Hmmm?" Catherine raised her eyebrows.

"My husband…was he smiling when you found him?"

Catherine looked at her and smiled, "Yes." Even though it was a downright lie, she wouldn't be able to sleep that night if she had told Abigail the truth—that the body's face was unrecognizable. "Yes, Abigail. He was smiling."

"Thank God." she covered her mouth again to stifle a cry and slowly added, "T-that was…that was his wish…. He wanted his last moments on Earth to be peaceful."

"Come again?" Catherine cocked her head. "Was…was your husband expecting to die?"

"Stephen had only a few months to live…That's why we moved here…He wanted to live the last of his life in the city he grew up in. The doctors called it…Cystic Fibrosis…He was diagnosed a few years ago." Abigail confessed, catching Catherine off-guard.

"I thought you moved here because of military reasons." Catherine stated out of confusion.

"No…I mean, yes, I am military, but no…I got special permission to leave my station so my husband could live out the rest of his days in the city he's always loved…" she replied but fell to her knees and started crying again. "But now he won't ever get that chance!"

Catherine didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave Abigail alone—especially since she's mentally and emotionally vulnerable right now. The least she could do was stay until her colleagues arrive. She awkwardly walked over to Abigail and gave her a very awkward hug. "We'll find his killer. I promise."

For twenty minutes, Abigail cried in Catherine's arms nonstop. At times like these, it didn't matter if you were letting a stranger cry on your shoulders; this woman needed someone and Catherine was the nearest person. When Abigail had no more tears to shed, she sniffed rather loudly and rubbed her nose with the back of her arm. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." Catherine replied. "You're lucky."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"I was 19 when I witnessed my mother's death…. and I had no one. I mean, I had my sister and my father…who died just recently…but…they would never know what I went through. They never understood and my sister, today, still doesn't understand why it still bothers me so." Catherine admitted to this perfect stranger.

"Oh…" Abigail replied. Before she could say anything else, Catherine's cellphone rang.

"Chandler." Catherine stated as she answered the call. "-Mhmm. Got it. –Be there shortly. –All right. See you in a few." She placed her phone back into her pocket and turned to Abigail, "That was my boss. He says the surveillance team has arrived so I am free to go. Is there anything you want me to tell them on my way down?"

"No thank you." Abigail shook her head.

"All right. You take care now, okay?"

"I'll try." Abigail nodded slowly as Catherine rose to her feet.

"Detective?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have someone special in your life?"

Catherine smiled. "Yes…I do."

"Then spend every waking moment with him…because, like my husband, you'll never know when you'll lose him." She replied causing Catherine to nod.

"Of course. Thank you for the advice." Catherine said before turning around and walking towards the front of the apartment. Catherine couldn't help but feel a cringe of guilt as she heard Abigail start crying again. In all honesty, Catherine couldn't imagine what it must feel like to lose a spouse. Sure, she's lost her mother but she would think losing a husband or a wife would feel quite different. Losing Vincent to Muirfield made Catherine crazy enough…She wouldn't dare try to think of what it would feel like if she were to ever lose Vincent. Him dying on her watch was not an option. She was going to make sure he outlives her by a longshot. Even if she had to haunt him from her grave if she was to ever die in the near future.

For Abigail's sake, Catherine was going to use whatever's necessary to arrest that bastard—beast or no beast. He deserved to be punished—and to Catherine, death wasn't a bad idea either.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent traced the iPad's origins all the way to Catherine's father's place. He hated the fact that he was able to re-see Catherine's father's accident. He could confirm that Catherine's father was indeed pushed onto the street of an oncoming car. He could even recall the car's license plate if Catherine ever wanted it. To see Catherine in so much emotional pain as she ran after her father after he was tossed to the ground was almost unbearable. He may not remember everything about her but he hated seeing her in pain. He feels like it's somehow his fault that her father was essentially killed. He didn't know why but he felt like he had something to do with it.

Vincent saw a woman with blonde hair, through a window, exercising on a treadmill. Perhaps a sister of Catherine's? He was hoping no one would be home but, ever since Catherine came back into his life, he quickly realized that he couldn't always get what he wanted—especially when it came to getting his memories back. Since he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere without walking inside the home, he rang the doorbell and waited for the young woman to open it.

"May I help you?" the woman asked wearily as she cautiously opened the door.

"Hi…Look, here's the thing…I used to date Catherine back in college and remembered she lived here during the holiday breaks. Does she happen to live here still?" he lied but to the woman, he sounded very convincing.

"No…she doesn't." she replied. "Wait here. I'll come back with the address." As she started to leave, Vincent stopped her with his raspy voice.

"Actually, I also came here to collect some family pictures. You see, if I remember correctly, her birthday is coming up and I wanted to make her a neat slideshow as a present. You know, to bring back some memories of the good ole days." He smiled but she wasn't smiling back.

"Who are you really?" she raised her brow. "Cat's birthday was like three weeks ago. And if she dated anyone she ever liked in college, I would know. I _am_ her step-mother after all. Despite what people think, we talk a lot and she's told me quite a bit about her trashy boyfriends. So, again, I'll ask: who are you really?"

Of all of the things he thought this woman could be—Catherine's step-mother wasn't one of them. "All right," he waved his hands up in the air as if he was defending himself and he added, "You caught me. I'm actually Catherine's current boyfriend. She sent me here to retrieve copies of your reception photos. She wants them for some kind of memento she's creating for your late husband."

"Uh-huh…and why didn't you just tell me the truth when I answered the door?" she tapped her foot impatiently.

"I promised Catherine say a word. It was supposed to be a surprise." Vincent replied almost instantly.

"What did you say your name was again?" the woman asked skeptically.

"I didn't. My name is Vincent." He replied, assuming Catherine had to have mentioned his name to her family before. He did, after all, crash her father's wedding. Someone was bound to have seen him, right? Or maybe they danced outside? Or did they even dance? He would have to ask Catherine later if he didn't remember it by the next time he sees her.

"Oh my God! You're Vincent Zalansky, aren't you!" she suddenly squealed, "I knew Cat was dating someone named Vincent but who knew he would be such a hunk!?" she laughed.

"Erm…thanks?" Okay, so Zalansky was his alias? Whatever works.

"Come on in." she replied. "I'm Brooke. I'm sure Cat already told you of me since she sent you all the way here but knowing her, she probably told you there would be a crazy, young woman living in her father's house. She and I…well we're close but not…not _that_ close. But I think I'm warming up to her." Brooke added. "You wait inside the family room while I look for those photos. I'm sure she'll have more use for them than me anyway. I'll just give her the originals."

Vincent followed Brooke into the family room and took a seat on the couch. When she disappeared, he quickly pulled out the iPad from inside the flap of his jacket and could still faintly smell Catherine's father's scent coming off of the house. Images of the past glazed over his eyes and he could see a middle-aged man with salt-and-peppered hair, pacing in front of the fire place. He was waiting for someone to pick up the other line on his cellphone. His heart was racing. His glands were sweating. Suddenly, Vincent's mind could hear a voice on the other line say, _"Hey, Dad."_

"_Catherine, I need to meet you." _The man was obviously jaded. Vincent couldn't pick out the rest of the conversation as his mind tried to wonder why Catherine's father would want to see her so badly. Why would Condor's face be on her father's iPad? Did they know each other?

"I don't know if I've gotten all of them but I think I've found most of them." Vincent heard Brooke shout from the hallway, shaking him from his trans. He immediately hid the iPad under the arm of his jacket and waited for the young blonde to return. "Will 10 be enough?"

"I'm sure that will be plenty." Vincent faked a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Tell Catherine she needs to come and see me sometime. We have loads to catch up on. Even though Thomas is dead, she and I are still family. Please let her know that." Brooke smiled but Vincent could tell she was about to cry.

"I will." He replied, feeling somewhat bad for her. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose Catherine. He knew he still had a lot to learn about their relationship and try to remember what they had done together but just thinking about her being on a case without his constant supervision was driving him crazy. He desperately wanted to follow her around wherever she went but if, God forbid, Condor ever found out about his crazed feelings for Catherine, something might happen to her. And he couldn't let that happen.

Unfortunately, since Brooke thought he had gotten what he came for, he couldn't stay anymore. He would have to finish his personal mission later when he knew she wasn't going to be around. Perhaps Catherine could help him next time? He knew he had to tell her what he uncovered. He had to—he didn't want to keep secrets from her anymore.

As he left, he thanked Catherine's fairly young step-mother for the pictures and started walking away. When she had closed the door and locked it, he zipped around the corner and found the nearest sewer grate, knowing it would be faster getting back to Catherine's. He didn't have to be there for another three hours but he desperately wanted to see her—and to tell her everything he had uncovered about her father.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine looked at her watch and noted the time as 4 PM. She had two hours left until Vincent was going to show up on her rooftop so she thought she would spend the time she had left and take a nap. She was extremely exhausted (and still sore) from her nightly activities with him and what better way to waste time than to sleep it away?

Catherine smiled to herself as she opened the door to her apartment. She still couldn't believe what she and Vincent had done the night before but was super happy about it. Okay, so maybe they've started sleeping together before he's uncovered all of his memories but hey, they have to start somewhere, right?

"Hey." She heard a deep, raspy voice utter the moment she walked into her apartment.

"Hey…" she grinned before kicking the door closed with her foot. "I thought you weren't going to come over until 6." She walked over to him and Vincent immediately wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Day plans changed." He smirked. "So I came over here as soon as I could."

"How long were you waiting?" she asked, hoping it wasn't long. She would hate to have made him wait for hours for her.

"Only twenty minutes." He shrugged. "Maybe a little longer."

"Well I'm glad you're here." Catherine said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have so much I want to tell you today. A lot has happened with the case."

"Aren't I supposed to seduce you first?" he raised his eyebrow. "It wouldn't be fair to me if you don't let me 'beg' for the information."

Catherine smirked. "Then what are you waiting for?" Her voice was smooth and velvety. Vincent could feel his knees start to unbuckle as he felt her warm breath tickle his ear. Almost immediately, he picked her up into his arms and carried her into her bedroom.

It was definitely going to be another good night for the BEAST and his BEAUTY.

**Beauty & the Beast**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: The only reason I was able to squeeze in this chapter was because I was babysitting last night (without wifi) and then the power at my house went out for most of the day and therefore I wasn't able to use the internet for homework. Now that the power is restored, I think it is a good time for me to end the chapter here. **

**Should I continue? :)**


End file.
